Bachelor in Psychology

Our Focus

• emphasizing behavior, mental processes, and emotion using scientific methods and applying such study for the promotion of human welfare
• comprehension and evaluation of psychological research presented in the popular press
• understanding the role of theory in psychology
• developing research skills and examining the role of evidence in psychology
• analyzing the dynamics of the human person as an individual, a member of a family, of a group, and of a community

Your Talents

You’ll enjoy Abbey’s psychology major if you:

• are fascinated by the human person as well as group, family, and marriage dynamics
• are a good listener
• are comfortable with empirical data
• recognize the inherent self-worth of the human person as created by God
• want to help others with their problems
• enjoy thinking logically and scientifically

Our Approach

Belmont Abbey College’s psychology bachelor’s degree program is an excellent starting place for anyone hoping to build a career in psychology.

Majors in the department will:

• be familiarized with APA style, research techniques, and how to conduct a credible psychological study
• develop knowledge, skills, and values consistent with the science and application of psychology
• critically evaluate the production, interpretation, and application of psychological research to understand the human person and promote human welfare
• understand the philosophical and historical background of psychology
• embrace opportunities for practical professional experiences and career exploration

Your Purpose

With a Psychology bachelor’s degree from Belmont Abbey College, you will be able to pursue a variety of career opportunities, including:

• Counseling
• Psychiatrist
• Social work
• Clinical, forensic, or engineering psychologist
• School or sports psychologist
• Teaching
• Behavior Tech
• Law Enforcement
• Sales
• Human Resources

Psychologists are ubiquitous in a vast number of career fields, from counseling to clinical psychology to social work. Pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology is widely practical because knowledge of the way humans think is useful in any line of work. Some of these careers do require a graduate degree and professional license.

The Abbey Difference

In accordance with the Catholic, Benedictine, and liberal arts traditions, the Psychology Department supports students’ learning of the cumulative knowledge base and methods central to psychology within a framework of ethical principles and integration of knowledge. Our commitment is to educate the whole student effectively, integrating the intellectual, behavioral, spiritual, and emotional aspects inherent in the scientific study of behavior, mental processes, and emotion, and the application of psychological science to the promotion of human welfare. Regardless of the career path taken by our students after graduation, our goal is to enable them to think clearly and act with integrity in their professional, public, and personal lives.

Highlights of your experience

Biological Psychology: In addition to learning fundamental physiological principles that underlie normal and disordered behavior, mental processes, and emotion, students engage in a well-informed critical and civil discussion of how bio-psychological knowledge and principles can be used ethically to understand and influence a wide range of problems. In addition to two exams, students do an assignment on differences in sex development such as Turner Syndrome and Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS) and short multimedia presentations on cutting edge topics such as sensory substitution devices or deep brain stimulation.

Special Topics: We regularly offer Special Topics courses. Recent offerings have included Cultural Psychology, Research on Financial Literacy, and Psychology and Film.

Social Psychology: This is a very popular course for psychology majors and minors and students from other majors. Students examine psychological theories and research that shed light on group behavior and the effects of social environments on individual behavior. Specific topics include cognitive attribution, conformity, gender roles, interpersonal relationships, and prejudice. Assignments may include not only exams and papers and class participation but also an analysis of a popular film.

Program Requirements

B.A. in Psychology

In addition to the other Core Curriculum requirements, the following are specific core requirements:

• PC 201 Introduction to Psychology
• MA 135 or higher (a prerequisite for PC 300)

Major requirements:

• PC 215W Science and Practice of Psychology
• PC 225 Integration of Psychology
• PC 300 Statistics for Psychology (Fall)
• PC 301 Developmental Psychology
• PC 307W Research Methods for Psychology (Spring)
• PC 308 Theories of Personality
• PC 360 Social Psychology
• PC 407 Testing and Assessment (Spring)
• PC 410W/411W/412W Senior Capstone (Fall of senior year)
• PC upper-level electives (18 hours)

Other Courses :

• An internship is encouraged (1-6 hours)
• General elective hours (13-18 hours) (Taking a Minor is encouraged)

B. S. in Psychology

In addition to the other Core Curriculum requirements, the following are specific core requirements:

• PC 201 Introduction to Psychology
• MA 135 or higher (a prerequisite for PC 300) (N.B.: MA 151 is often a prerequisite for students taking CH, PY, MA courses)

Major requirements:

• PC 215W Science and Practice of Psychology
• PC 225 Integration of Psychology
• PC 300 Statistics for Psychology (Fall)
• PC 301 Developmental Psychology
• PC 305 Biological Psychology
• PC 306 Cognitive Psychology
• PC 360 Social OR PC 308 Theories of Personality
• PC 313 Abnormal Psychology
• PC 307W Research Methods for Psychology (Spring)
• PC 407 Testing and Assessment (Spring)
• PC 410W/411W/412W – Senior capstone (Fall of senior year)
• Two PC upper-level electives

Other Courses :

• BI, EV, CH, PY, SC300, or MA courses beyond core requirements (8 hours)
• An internship is encouraged (1-6 hours)
• General elective hours (14-19 hours) (Taking a Minor is encouraged)